Can you interview a therapist before you pick them?
If you ask good, relevant questions, you’ll learn plenty and probably get a good feel for how it would be to work with this person.
How can you tell if a therapist is not good at therapy?
Reading Quora questions and answers—stories of therapist misbehavior, misconduct, and mediocrity—has been sobering and saddening, and sometimes just makes me mad. Here’s a short list of problems that come up often.
How do you cope with anxiety that turns into dissociation?
The dissociative state is a way of coping, and may feel a lot better than the anxiety. Some people keep dissociating but learn to do it in a way that’s hardly noticeable.
What are some good examples of art therapy?
George had been my neighbor until he went to the care center, where I visited him every week. They had an art therapist named Sally there. She invited me to participate in a class.
What’s your most memorable “ah-ha” moment with a client?
Sally seemed obsessed with her older sister Sue, who was critical, controlling, and occasionally cruel. They’d talk on the phone every Friday at 6 PM for about half an hour. Sally always felt bad for an hour or two afterward and had a cocktail and a TV show to settle down. Next morning she’d still be emotionally hung over.
How to Accept Your Emotions When You Can’t?
I wouldn’t start there. That’s a tall order, and all that comes much later. We begin gradually. Start with noticing the sensations, just attending and describing, nothing more (though it’s a lot already).
Are Clients Responsible for Boundaries in Therapy?
If it’s not illegal or dangerous or disruptive to others, you can say or ask absolutely anything that pops into your head. I hope you do.
In marriage therapy, how would you help someone “click” with their spouse again after years of mostly marital apathy?
You can learn to develop curiosity about practically anything if it’s important to someone you love, even after “years of mostly marital apathy.”
Does transference always happen when seeing a therapist?
Transference brings your feelings about important relationships right into the room where they can be addressed and maybe resolved.
How do you learn to love yourself when you grew up in a dysfunctional family?
Love is not a passing feeling or emotion, like loving a movie or a dessert. It’s a behavior. We don’t have a lot of control over our feelings. We can control our behavior based on choices and promises.